USL PRO Update

CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Charleston Battery got a pair of goals from Nicki Paterson as they defeated the Houston Dynamo Reserves 4-1 on Saturday night at Blackbaud Stadium. The victory gave the Battery a sweep of their two-game interleague series with Houston, which is otherwise undefeated in MLS Reserve League play.

The Battery took the lead in the 18th minute as Paterson curled home a beautiful free kick from 25 yards out, giving his side a halftime lead. Charleston then doubled its lead in the 62nd minute as Jose Cuevas scored his first goal of the season, getting in behind the Dynamo Reserves' defense before finishing from a tight angle.

Houston hit back almost immediately, with Brian Ownby scoring a minute later as he picked up a poor clearance by the Battery's defense before burying a finish. Charleston regained control in the 77th minute, however, as Paterson scored his second of the game as he snapped home a header from a cross by Quinton Griffith. The Antiguan international added a goal to his assist in stoppage time to cap the victory, cushioning home a volley from the right side of the penalty area off a cross by Mike Azira into the left side-netting.

"It was great to have Quinton back tonight, he always adds another dimension to our game," said Battery coach Mike Anhaeuser. "Seeing him and Jose get their first goals was huge. If our wingers are scoring, it only makes us more dangerous."

The win moved the Battery into third place in the league standings, and gave them a nice boost ahead of Wednesday night's trip to visit Real Salt Lake in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

WEDNESDAY

HARRISBURG 2, WILMINGTON 0: Two second-half goals lifted the Harrisburg City Islanders past the Wilmington Hammerheads at Skyline Sports Complex, giving the City Islanders their third consecutive victory.

The first half didn't produce many clear chances, with the City Islanders going closest to taking the lead, only for their finishing to be wayward. Harrisburg took the lead early in the second half thanks to a slice of luck from a corner, with the ball deflecting into the Hammerheads' goal off goalkeeper Phil Tuttle off a defensive clearance.

Wilmington was reduced to 10 men with 20 minutes to go, with Daniel Steres being sent off after bringing down Stephen Basso. Five minutes later the City Islanders added to their lead, again from a corner, as Coady Andrews was able to put away the rebound of his own header after a delivery by Cris Hernandez. Wilmington was unable to find a reply, allowing the City Islanders to claim all three points.

CHARLESTON 2, CHARLOTTE 2: A late equalizer by Drew Yates earned the Charlotte Eagles a point against the Charleston Battery at Blackbaud Stadium. Charlotte took the lead early, but the Battery responded with second-half goals by Heviel Cordoves and Dane Kelly before Yates' late goal left the sides even.

Charlotte took the lead in the 14th minute as Juan Guzman found Stephen Okai breaking through the Battery's defense, and the rookie chipped his finish over the advancing goalkeeper for a 1-0 halftime lead. The introduction of Cordoves made a big impact for Charleston in the second half, with the Cuban tying the game just past the hour-mark with a fine curling finish into the upper-right corner of the net.

Cordoves turned provider eight minutes later, sliding a pass through to Kelly that allowed the Jamaican to beat his man and flick a finish past Eric Reed to give the Battery the lead. Charleston was unable to hold on late, however, as Yates scored on a close-range header deep into stoppage time to earn his side a point and end a recent losing streak.

FRIDAY

PITTSBURGH 1, TORONTO RESERVES 1: The Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Toronto FC Reserves finished all square as Andrew Weideman's second-half goal earned the Canadian side a point at Highmark Stadium. Jose Angulo had given the Riverhounds an early lead as they extended their undefeated streak in league play to seven games.

Pittsburgh took the lead in the ninth minute with Jhonny Arteaga's cross from the right finding Angulo for a good header, and his sixth goal of the season. The Riverhounds had other chances to extend their lead, and Mike Seth had a good chance early in the second half as he broke in on goal, only to put his shot wide of the right post.

Both sides attacked well in the second half, and the Riverhounds almost doubled their lead in the 55th minute, only for Quillan Roberts to make a good save as he tipped a free kick over the crossbar. Toronto hit back with 18 minutes to go after the Riverhounds were unable to clear their lines, and the ball came to Weideman, whose shot took a deflection and looped into the left corner of the net from the right side of the penalty area.

Both teams had chances to take all three points late, with Toronto almost capitalizing as Hunter Gilstrap came and failed to claim a corner kick. The honors ended even, however, as neither side was able to find a winner.

TAMPA BAY 8, ANTIGUA 0: Mauricio Salles set a single-game USL PRO record with five goals as VSI Tampa Bay FC took victory against Antigua Barracuda FC at Plant City Stadium. All of Salles' goals came in the opening half-hour, while Shawn Chin, Sebastian Thuriere and Karamba Janneh also found the back of the net for Tampa Bay.

Salles opened the scoring just more than a minute in, capitalizing on a defensive mistake to finish. After Tony Donatelli hit the post for Tampa Bay, Salles added a pair of goals a minute apart as he was able to get in behind the Barracuda's high line. His fourth came in the 16th minute, and a fine finish 10 minutes later put Tampa Bay up 5-0.

Chin capitalized on another giveaway in first-half stoppage time, but the halftime break allowed Antigua to adjust and play better in the second half. David Martin had to be sharp to keep a clean sheet making a couple of good saves to keep the Barracudas off the board. VSI put another pair of goals up late, with Thuriere scoring with 18 minutes to go and Salles setting up Janneh for the final goal of the night in the 87th minute.

ORLANDO 2, PHOENIX 0: Dom Dwyer claimed the USL PRO single-season scoring record with his 14th goal of the season as Orlando City took victory against Phoenix FC at the Florida Citrus Bowl. Jamie Watson also found the back of the net as Orlando remained perfect at home this season.

The Lions put pressure on the Wolves from the outset, with Dwyer just failing to connect with an early cross by Bryan Burke. Orlando's other forward, Long Tan, created the opening goal, however, as his powerful run into the penalty area saw him brought down and the referee point to the penalty spot. Watson sent Andrew Weber the wrong way, giving his side the lead in the 29th minute.

Two minutes later Dwyer doubled the advantage as he cut across the top of the penalty area before firing home. The Lions came close to adding to their lead before the break, with Weber making a fine save to deny Watson a second, and while Phoenix would come into the game more in the second half, it was unable to put a dent in Orlando's lead, allowing the Lions to roll on to victory.

ROCHESTER 1, MONTREAL RESERVES 1: A late goal by Karl Ouimette earned the Montreal Impact Reserves a draw with the Rochester Rhinos at Sahlen's Stadium. Tam McManus had given the Rhinos a first-half lead, but Rochester remained with just one win in USL PRO this season thanks to their historic rivals' late equalizer.

Rochester opened the game brightly and took the lead in the 19th minute as McManus headed home a cross by J.C. Banks from the right. The Rhinos continued to hold the upper hand for most of the first half, with both Blake Brettschneider and Banks trying to create chances to add to the lead.

The Rhinos looked to solidify their advantage in the second half as both sides struggled to find clear scoring opportunities. That changed with four minutes to go, however, as Ouimette was played into the penalty area behind the Rhinos' defense. Tyler Polak was able to track back and block Ouimette's initial shot, but the rebound caromed off the Impact forward and looped over Rhinos goalkeeper Kristian Nicht and into the back of the net.

Rochester had a chance to grab a late winner with a minute to go when Tyler Rosenlund broke into the penalty area alone, but his fierce shot was saved by Montreal goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, and the game ended even.

SATURDAY

DAYTON 4, COLUMBUS RESERVES 4: Shane Smith scored a dramatic equalizer with a minute to go as the Dayton Dutch Lions earned a draw against the Columbus Crew Reserves at Beavercreek Stadium. The goal capped a back-and-forth contest that saw the teams exchange the lead three times before finishing even.

Columbus took the lead in just the seventh minute as Ryan Finley headed home from a cross by Kyle Hyland for the early lead. Dayton was quick to respond as Gibson Bardsley scored his fifth goal of the season, capitalizing on a low cross by Eli Garner in the 15th minute. The Dutch Lions then took the lead for the first time, with Joel DeLass finishing from the penalty spot in the 27th minute after a handball in the Crew penalty area.

The Crew Reserves were able to get back on level terms nine minutes later as Konrad Warzycha curled home a free kick from 25 yards out to make it 2-2. Dayton was awarded another penalty in first half stoppage time after a foul by Ethan Finley, and DeLass struck again to put his side up at the break.

Columbus threatened to get back on even terms early in the second half, and Finley scored his second goal of the game in the 61st minute as a punched clearance by Dutch Lions goalkeeper Matt Williams came to him and allowed him to finish. Bernardo Anor then gave the Crew Reserves the lead seven minutes later his deflected shot catching Williams flat-footed.

Dayton grabbed a point late, however, as Greg Preciado's knock-down of a corner was met by Smith to finish from close range.

RICHMOND 1, WILMINGTON 1: Two goals in two minutes saw the Richmond Kickers and Wilmington Hammerheads finish in a 1-1 draw on Saturday night at City Stadium. Phillipe Davies opened the scoring with 12 minutes to go, but a minute later Steven Perry was able to earn the Hammerheads their first road point of the season.

The game started evenly, with Paul Nicholson shooting over the bar for the Hammerheads and Nate Robinson having a free kick turned aside for the Kickers by Troy Hernandez in the Wilmington goal. The Hammerheads came close to taking the lead at the midway point of the half as Richmond goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra was caught out of position after coming for a cross, but none of Wilmington's effort could find a way through the defense.

Richmond had the better of the game from then on, with Michael Seaton sending a header just over the bar before the half-hour mark and almost making a remarkable run on goal in the 36th minute on the counter attack, only to be brought down outside the penalty area. Neither side was able to force many saves after the halftime break, but the Kickers broke the deadlock as Davies, on as a second-half substitute, rifled home a finish from 25 yards. A minute later, however, the Hammerheads hit back as Perry tied the game. Perry came close to a winner in stoppage time, only for Dykstra to save, and the teams ended up sharing the points.

COLORADO RESERVES 3, HARRISBURG 1: The Colorado Rapids Reserves got a hat trick from Kevin Harbottle to snap the Harrisburg City Islanders' three-game winning streak with victory at Skyline Sports Complex on Saturday night. Morgan Langley had given the City Islanders the lead late in the first half, but Harrisburg was unable to put away its chances as the Rapids Reserves took a split of the two-game interleague series.

Colorado had an early chance as Kamani Hill forced a good save from Nick Noble in the first five minutes. The game remained a little disjointed for the City Islanders for much of the first half, but they were able to take the lead in the 42nd minute as Tom Mellor got free down the left side and sent in a cross that Langley flicked home at the near post.

Harrisburg had chances to add to its lead in the second half, but was unable to take advantage as Lucky Mkosana had a goal called back for offside before he missed the target with a shot. Sainey Touray also had a chance after breaking in behind the Rapids Reserves' defense, but he had his shot well saved by Colorado goalkeeper Andrew Epstein.

The Rapids Reserves began their comeback with 15 minutes to go as Harbottle picked up a half-cleared corner kick on the right and cut inside at the top of the penalty area and drove an outstanding finish home. Colorado took the lead 10 minutes later as Harbottle was on hand to knock home the rebound after Noble had saved from German Mera. He then capped his hat trick on a breakaway in the 89th minute, finishing well into the bottom-left corner of the net.

SUNDAY

TAMPA BAY 1, PHOENIX 0: VSI Tampa Bay FC took victory against Phoenix FC as Chad Burt scored the only goal after his side had been reduced to 10 men with just more than 15 minutes to play. Tampa Bay goalkeeper Alex Horwath had been sent off earlier in the second half, but Darren Mackie missed the ensuing penalty kick as the Wolves remained winless on the road.

Tampa Bay held more possession in the first half, but Mackie sent a pair of shots wide for Phoenix as the Wolves tried to hit on the counter-attack. Mauricio Salles was also dangerous for Tampa Bay, but Phoenix's defense did well to shut down Tampa Bay as it looked to try and play balls in behind the back line.

VSI had better openings in the second half, with Salles having a free kick deflect off the defensive wall before being smothered by Phoenix goalkeeper Andrew Weber. JT Noone also went close, curling a shot just wide of the left post. Phoenix earned a penalty in the 66th minute as Anthony Obodai was brought down by Horwath in the 18-yard-box, earning the VSI goalkeeper a red card, but Mackie's penalty kick went high and wide of the right post.

Seven minutes later, Tampa Bay took the lead as a ball into the penalty area found Burt 15 yards out, and he turned and shot into the right corner of the net. Phoenix's best chance to equalize came inside the last 10 minutes, but Donny Toia's shot from the left side of the penalty area missed the near post.

ORLANDO 2, ANTIGUA 0: Two goals in the final five minutes gave Orlando City a win against Antigua Barracuda FC at the Florida Citrus Bowl, denying a standout display by Barracudas goalkeeper Molvin James from earning his side its first point of the season.

Orlando controlled the majority of the game, but was unable to break through thanks to James and the frame of the goal. Adama Mbengue hit the post in the 10th minute, and James made good saves to deny Ian Fuller and Dennis Chin to keep the game scoreless at halftime. Orlando continued to press in the second half, with James making an outstanding save to keep Justin Clark from opening the scoring. Justin Braun also hit the crossbar with just less than 20 minutes to go.

The Lions finally took the lead in the 87th minute after Braun was brought down in the penalty area, and Jamie Watson sent his low shot from the spot just out of James' reach into the left corner of the net. Dom Dwyer then added a second goal in the final minute, running onto a through-ball before finishing for his 15th goal of the season.